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50 Great Green Tips for Dorm Life

It seems that almost everyone is trying to do something to help the environment these days. Whether you are taking online classes to reduce the number of papers generated and to eliminate commute time or are trying to find ways to live greener, there is something you can do–even while living in a dorm. Take a look at the following tips to learn what you can do to green your dorm life.

Decorating and Furnishing

Your dorm room is a reflection of your personality, so how it looks is important to many people. Learn how you can decorate and furnish your dorm room so that it looks great and is good for the environment.

Live plants. Unless it is against your dorm rules, invest in a few live plants for your dorm room. Not only will it add a personal touch, but plants are a great way to improve indoor air quality.

Go used. While the shiny new stuff at the big box stores looks enticing, it is so much better to go retro and get used stuff instead. Visit a thrift shop or check out craigslist to see what is available.

Buy locally. Don’t mess with shipping or otherwise transporting a ton of stuff from your parents’ house to your dorm. Instead, buy locally to save on the transportation to and from each dorm move.

Get it free. Check out listings such as Freecycle or Freesharing that provide free classifieds full of stuff people don’t want anymore.

Recycled furniture. Get creative with your furniture and use recycled parts to make awesome, unique furniture. One idea is to place an old door across two file cabinets for an instant desk.

Photos. Decorate your walls with personal photos. Either tack them up on their own or create easy and fun frames out of anything from tin cans to leather belts.

Convert a halogen torchiere lamp. A simple conversion can turn a hot halogen lamp into a cool, green compact florescent one that looks great too.

Love your small space. Dorm life means you have limited space. Use this situation to practice reducing waste and curbing consumerism. You’ll find your space is not only cleaner, but you are living greener.

Conservation

These tips offer great ways to conserve energy and water in your dorm.

Hang dry clothes. Not all your clothes need to be dried in a dryer. In fact, some clothes actually do better when not dried that way. Buy a sturdy drying rack and use it for drying t-shirts, cotton and linen clothes, and lingerie.

Cold water. Wash laundry in cold water to save on the energy needed to heat water. Unless you have stubborn stains or odors, cold water will get your clothes clean. Cold water also preserves the life of your clothes so they last longer.

Full load of laundry. Throwing a blouse or a pair of pants alone into the wash is a waste of water, energy, and detergent. Make sure you are running a full load of laundry each time you use the washing machine.

No air conditioning. If you can, try to get by without air conditioning. If this isn’t possible, turn down the A/C while you’re away instead of turning it all the way off. It will take less energy to get it back up to a comfortable temperature.

Dusting. Use an old piece of clothing or old towel to dust. Instead of one-time-use dusting clothes full of chemicals, these reusable rags can easily be thrown in the laundry with your clothes. If you miss your furniture polish in a can, try a natural version using olive oil instead.

Toothpaste. Skip the tube of toothpaste that uses manufacturing, packaging, and transportation to your store and use homemade toothpaste with baking soda and water.

Body scrub. Make a simple, yet luxurious, body scrub with just a bit of oil, sugar or salt, and a few drops of essential oil for scent.

Shampoo. No matter what hair type you have, there is a recipe for eco-friendly shampoo you can easily make right in your dorm room.

Hair conditioner. Another way to save on packaging and manufacturing is to make your own hair conditioner with simple ingredients such as eggs, avocado, honey, or yogurt.

Facials. For the ultimate in pampering, make your own facial scrubs that are also earth-friendly.

Rain water. If your dorm doesn’t have a rain water collection system, work with the school to start one. They are simple to install and provide free water for your community garden or any other landscape usage.

Recycled paper. When purchasing paper for your schoolwork, make sure it is recycled. Also, when you are finished with the paper, put it in the recycling bin.

Bags. Take reusable bags with you to the store. If you forget and end up with plastic or paper bags, reuse them in creative ways.

Rechargeable batteries. Whenever possible, select rechargeable batteries in your electronic devices. This reduces the number of batteries that need to be recycled or might make their way to the landfill.